Minister for Posts and Telegraphs

The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Irish: Aire Poist agus Telegrafa) was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished – the minister headed the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (also known as the P&T in English and P⁊T in Irish, and later stylised as p+t), the government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service covering the Republic of Ireland.

The original logo of the department, including the Tironian et symbol, is still often seen on early postboxes and other older property.

Pre-1984 manhole cover showing the P⁊T logo

History

The office of Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was created by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, which reorganised the Irish system of government shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The Minister exercised those functions which had formerly been exercised by the Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. Legislation in 1831 had amalgamated the earlier offices of Postmaster General of Great Britain and Postmasters General of Ireland, which became a jointly held role in the administration of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

This later and final version of the logo of the department was most commonly associated with the orange and white postal vans.

The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 defined the department's role:^[1]

The Department of Posts and Telegraphs which shall comprise the administration and business generally of public services in connection with posts, telegraphs, and telephones, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Eighth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Puist agus Telegrafa or (in English) the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.

The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was responsible for Ireland's postal and telecommunications services from 1924 to 1984. At its height the department was one of the largest civil service departments in Ireland. The reform of the sector and department began in 1978 with the creation of the Posts and Telegraphs Review Group. This led, following the delivery of a report in 1979, to the creation of the ad hoc Interim Board for Posts (An Bord Poist), chaired by Feargal Quinn, and the Interim Board for Telecommunications (An Bord Telecom), chaired by Michael Smurfit. These two boards continued to sit until An Post and Telecom Éireann, respectively, replaced them in 1984 as state-sponsored agencies.

The Department of Posts and Telegraphs ceased to exist in 1984, and its powers and responsibilities were transferred to the newly created Department of Communications. This was one of the largest reorganisations of the civil service in modern times, the old department having had a workforce of about 30,000 prior to dissolution. With the transfer of personnel to the new agencies, the number of civil service employees was almost halved overnight.

The Minister for Communications was created in 1983 to replace both the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and the Minister for Transport. In 1987, the transport functions of the department were moved to a new Department of Tourism and Transport. In 1991 the minister's functions were passed to the renamed Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications and the department ceased to exist, but was not formally abolished.

The functions which had initially been under the Minister for Communications are now under the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and the Minister for Transport.

Alteration of name and transfer of functions

Name	Change
2 June 1924	Establishment of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs[2]
2 January 1984	Establishment of the Department of Communications Abolition of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs and the Department of Transport Transfer of functions to the Department of Communications[3][4]
31 March 1987	Transfer of Shipping to the Department of the Marine[5]
31 March 1987	Transfer of Transport to the Department of Tourism and Transport[6]
8 February 1991	Transfer of all remaining functions to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications[7]

List of office-holders

Postmaster General 1922–1924
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)[a]
J. J. Walsh	1 April 1922	2 June 1924		Cumann na nGaedheal	1st PG • 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1924–1984
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
J. J. Walsh	2 June 1924	12 October 1927		Cumann na nGaedheal	2nd EC • 3rd EC
Ernest Blythe	12 October 1927	9 March 1932		Cumann na nGaedheal	4th EC • 5th EC
Joseph Connolly	9 March 1932	8 February 1933		Fianna Fáil	6th EC
Gerald Boland	8 February 1933	11 November 1936		Fianna Fáil	7th EC
Oscar Traynor	11 November 1936	8 September 1939		Fianna Fáil	7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd
Thomas Derrig	8 September 1939	27 September 1939		Fianna Fáil	2nd
Patrick Little	27 September 1939	18 February 1948		Fianna Fáil	2nd • 3rd • 4th
James Everett	18 February 1948	13 June 1951		National Labour Party	5th
Erskine H. Childers (1st time)	13 June 1951	2 June 1954		Fianna Fáil	6th
Michael Keyes	2 June 1954	20 March 1957		Labour	7th
Neil Blaney	20 March 1957	4 December 1957		Fianna Fáil	8th
John Ormonde	4 December 1957	23 June 1959		Fianna Fáil	8th
Michael Hilliard	23 June 1959	21 April 1965		Fianna Fáil	8th • 9th • 10th
Joseph Brennan	21 April 1965	10 November 1966		Fianna Fáil	11th
Erskine H. Childers (2nd time)	10 November 1966	2 July 1969		Fianna Fáil	12th
Patrick Lalor	2 July 1969	9 May 1970		Fianna Fáil	13th
Gerry Collins	9 May 1970	14 March 1973		Fianna Fáil	13th
Conor Cruise O'Brien	14 March 1973	5 July 1977		Labour	14th
Pádraig Faulkner	5 July 1977	11 December 1979		Fianna Fáil	15th
Albert Reynolds[b]	12 December 1979	30 June 1981		Fianna Fáil	16th
Patrick Cooney[b]	30 June 1981	9 March 1982		Fine Gael	17th
John Wilson[b]	9 March 1982	14 December 1982		Fianna Fáil	18th
Jim Mitchell[b]	14 December 1982	2 January 1984		Fine Gael	19th
Minister for Communications 1984–1991
Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)
Jim Mitchell	2 January 1984	10 March 1987		Fine Gael	19th
John Wilson	10 March 1987	31 March 1987		Fianna Fáil	20th
Ray Burke[c]	31 March 1987	6 February 1991		Fianna Fáil	20th • 21st

Notes

1. Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
2. Also Minister for Transport
3. Also Minister for Justice from 12 July 1989 to 11 February 1992

List of ministers of state

Under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, the Executive Council could appoint Parliamentary Secretaries to assist Ministers in the Executive Council (renamed the Government in 1937). From 1978, this position was abolished and replaced by the position of Minister of State who could be appointed to a government department. The Minister of State did not hold cabinet rank.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1927–1978
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Michael Heffernan	11 October 1927	29 January 1932		Farmers' Party		4th EC • 5th EC
Patrick Lalor	16 November 1966	2 July 1969		Fianna Fáil		12th
Tom Fitzpatrick	5 July 1977	1 January 1978		Fianna Fáil		15th
Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs 1978–1984
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Tom Fitzpatrick	1 January 1978	11 December 1979		Fianna Fáil		15th[8]
Mark Killilea Jnr	12 December 1979	30 June 1981		Fianna Fáil		16th[9]
Paddy Harte	30 June 1981	9 March 1982		Fine Gael	Telecommunications[10]	17th
Terry Leyden	23 March 1982	14 December 1982		Fianna Fáil	Telecommunications[11]	18th
John Donnellan	16 December 1982	15 December 1983		Fine Gael	Posts and Telegraphs Service[12]	19th
Ted Nealon	18 February 1983	2 January 1984		Fine Gael	Broadcasting[13]
Minister of State at the Department of Communications 1984–1987
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Ted Nealon	2 January 1984	10 March 1987		Fine Gael	Radio and television[14][15]	19th